Eon's Hour
by Nozomi Illuminated
Summary: AU. Two cataclysms have ripped the world apart. A prophecy claims that there will be a third, and that those chosen by the Keyblade will dictate the fate of the world. As for the Keyblade wielders themselves? They have no clue what they're a bout to get dragged into. Riku/Xion, Sora/Kairi. 500 themes challenge. Ch. 12: He didn't know how to react. He didn't even know what to think
1. Fields of Dust

_A/N: Hello, I've been lurking on FFNet for a year or two and finally decided to get back into writing again! :D Anyway, to ease myself back into writing again, I've made myself a little challenge. Firstly, I'll be using the themes from the 500 themes challenge on Livejournal. Yes, that means what you think it means: this story will have 500 chapters. However, since I haven't been writing for a while, I'm going to give myself a word limit. For every twenty-five themes, the word count will go up 100 words. So, for the first twenty-five themes, each chapter will be exactly 100 words. Starting at theme twenty-six, they'll be 200 words. The last twenty-five themes will each be 2000 words (though I may or may not do something special for the final chapter). Oh, and I won't be doing the prompts in order, by the way._

_As for pairings, I haven't decided, other than my OTP Riku/Xion, and of course Sora/Kairi. There will be no yaoi or yuri in this._

_This is a fantasy AU, with possibly some elements of sci-fi or steampunk in there._

* * *

His bangs blew across his face and he brushed them away as he stared out over the wasteland. From far off, a figure approached, silhouetted against the sunrise in all black, her hand grasped tightly to her hood so it wouldn't be blown off. She appeared shadowy through the darkened cloth of his blindfold.

She crossed the distance more quickly than seemed possible, though she never changed her pace. The dust billowed up around her as she walked; the sunrise bled around them.

She spoke when she reached him.

"Hello, you must be Riku. I'm Xion."

She lowered her hood.


	2. All Sorts of Complicated

_A/N: You can thank the lovely Amatus for the two-in-one-day update. Nothing like receiving a PM from one of your favorite authors to inspire you! Anyway, this is supposed to be from Xion's POV, but it's so short you can't really tell. I think I liked the first draft of this drabble better, but I changed it to suit the prompt I was using, and to sneak a hint in there. Catch it? There are several nice little details that will set the foundation for the plot in this one. This feels rushed to me, but well, it is only one hundred words. It seems like all the chapters will have cliffhanger endings, at least until we get to the longer ones. There's simply not enough time to wrap things up in such a small amount of words. Ah well. Enjoy!_

* * *

Black hair fell forward as she lowered her hood. Blue eyes watered against the dust saturating the air. She noticed Riku tense slightly, reaching out slightly as if to summon his Keyblade (she wasn't supposed to know his name after all, why did she know his name, who _was_ she?) but stopped as he noticed her appearance.

She looked like someone he knew.

"Who are you?" He demanded. If she could see his eyes, they'd be widened.

Her voice had been almost cheerful before, now it was solemn. "That's not -" she sighed. "It's complicated."

"Riku, I need your help."


	3. Entrapment

_A/N: Sorry for the lack of update yesterday, I spent basically the whole day to my summer homework. Should've had that done ages ago and it's still not finished..._

_Thanks to Amatus for the review and alert, and deplhiegirl689 for the favorite!_

_Oh yeah, just a warning, but you're going to hate me for this chapter ^^" Sorry in advance? I actually like it though..._

* * *

Silence settled over them. Xion looked down, nervous, but before she could speak -

"You've got the wrong guy. I don't know who you think I am, or why you look like Kairi, but I doubt I can help you." He turned his back on her, boots making imprints in the dust as he departed. Xion stared almost blankly, shocked, minutes passing before she gathered the courage to chase after.

She stepped into his footprints, diverging from his path briefly to dart around a rock.

Her foot touched the ground.

It crumbled.

She barely had time to scream before sand filled her mouth.


	4. Shallow Grave

_A/N: Another one you may hate me for. I'm terrible, I know. It's also a bit depressing, sorry if that's not your cup of tea. :P_

_I had to stay up until 3 a.m. to finish my homework last night/early this morning. But I got it done, which is a very good thing, since today was my first day of the new school year! It was actually a really great first day. Not sure why the schools around here insist on starting on Fridays, though..._

_Anyway, there should be a POV change to some different characters in a few chapters, I'm not sure how many yet (though it won't be the next one). Riku and Xion will remain the main-main characters, but there's definitely going to be a much larger cast than just them. Also, it'll be a nice break from these depressing dust fields that Riku and Xion won't be getting out of just yet, and show a side of the world that isn't quite so utterly destroyed. :D_

_I really do need to stop writing and posting these so late._

* * *

Everything was dark. Her eyes were squeezed shut, but she knew even if she could see, it would make no difference. Thick, crushing walls of dust surrounded and entombed her. The taste of dust coated her tongue; she had swallowed a great gulp of it when she had screamed.

Fleetingly, she almost imagined she heard her name, shouted from above. But Riku wouldn't or couldn't save her, and it would be hopeless waiting for someone else.

She was going to suffocate, run out of air and choke on dirt. Like drowning in sand.

She would die before her journey began.


	5. Frantic Search

_A/N: I'm updating a little earlier than usual today, yay!_

_So, anyone have any preferences for pairings other than Sora/Kairi and Riku/Xion? I mean, I'll write Terra/Aqua, Zack/Aqua, or Vanitas/Aqua for Aqua pairings, Axel/Larxene, Marluxia/Larxene, Zexion/Larxene, and Demyx/Larxene for Larxene pairings, for Namine I could just do Roxas/Namine, or I could use cracky pairings like Ventus/Namine or Vanitas/Namine. I don't mind most Namine pairings, even crack, really. So feel free to suggest anything, I guess. Or, I have a poll on my profile that asks what you'd like to see from me in the future, and, among lots of other things, you can pick pairings you like. There are, like over 50 options, because when I do things I overdo them, so you can vote for up to 11 options._

_This little subplot was supposed to get wrapped up in this chapter but my word limiiiit. _

* * *

He heard her scream, he saw a flash of black before the gray dust covered her, the trail of footprints, the rock. Before his mind could begin to put the pieces together, he found himself where she had vanished. "Xion!" He called her name once, then again. "Xion!"

The dust couldn't have buried her too deep, and he cursed himself for coming out here when he himself didn't know the wastelands well. He was lucky he wasn't in her place right now.

Because, for Light's sake, he hadn't been about to help her, but he didn't want her to die.


	6. Guardian

_A/N: Ugh, almost didn't get this updated today. I was worrying over how to get this chapter done, then I sat down at WriteOrDie and this poured out. And I only had to cut out one word from the original document._

_Thanks to Lun3rClockwork for the follow._

* * *

She'd started seeing spots when the sand began shifting around her head. Light fell around her and hands pulled her upwards. She was suddenly being held in someone's arms, and she blinked disorientedly. She realized it was Riku holding her, breathing a sigh of relief. She sucked in shaky breaths.

Then, she pulled away, and vomited.

None of it got on him, thankfully, but she'd really needed to get rid of all the sand she swallowed.

"Looks like you've already helped me a little after all," she said hoarsely, her throat scratchy from the sand, as she looked up into his disgusted face.


	7. A White Rose

_A/N: I don't have time for a author's note today, gahhhh... Updating late because I just got home from seeing The Hunger Games!_

* * *

A pencil scratched across paper, which stirred as a sigh escaped from the artist's mouth.

An older girl, busy dusting the furnishings, looked up and inquired, "Naminé?"

The sketcher, dressed in pristine white, appeared startled, as if pulled out of a daydream. A ray of sunlight fell on her sketchpad, revealing a portrait of two vague, shadowy figures. The sun set over gray dust; two figures embraced.

"Oh-" the white-clad girl whispered timidly, "It's nothing, A-Aqua."

The older girl paused, then decided it was none of her business.

Naminé pulled a white rose from a vase on the table, breathing in its scent.


	8. Deserted Riverbank

_A/N: Sorry for the lack of update, I hate school. It keeps me so busy, and I hate being busy. But I got news that my best friend who moved away last year might be coming back! That TWEWY countdown was such a bummer though, I was so convinced there would be a sequel... No one care about your lousy iOS ports, Square! I'm still hoping for a future sequel, but I don't it'll be coming anytime soon._

_I got a Twitter though, to use for writing and fandom-related updates! If anyone wants to follow, it's nozomi_neko_san ! Also, I've been trying to work my way through all four seasons of that old cartoon, Code Lyoko, in celebration of finally getting a Netflix!_

* * *

"So... something you needed to tell me?"

Riku broke the silence as Xion nodded, pondering a way to word her explanation. They had moved on from the wastelands earlier that day, and were now camping on the side of slow-moving river. Despite being so close to the destroyed and polluted wastelands, the water appeared remarkably clean.

Riku had made a fire. Now its crackling permeated the quiet night. He waited expectantly, Xion remembering how he hadn't wanted to help her originally. And despite that, he'd saved her life.

The girl swallowed. "Riku... you should know this... I'm not exactly... human."


	9. Flames of Twilight

A/N: You get two updates to make up for the recent lack of them! And I'll take the oppurtunity to introduce a few new additions to the cast ;D

* * *

The view from the clock tower was the same as always: a perpetual sunset. Roxas didn't understand it, but Axel said it had to do with the aftermath of the second cataclysm. For whatever reason, the skies above Twilight Town were always cycling through the various stages of a sunset. It was a nice, nostalgic view, though, and Roxas wouldn't complain. Twilight Town - and the skies above it - were home.

Despite the never-changing view, however, there was still something missing from this picture. Roxas frowned, addressing the tall, green-eyed redhead who had arrived before him:

"Axel, where's Xion?"


	10. Harsh Revelation

_A/N: Waah, yet again I don't even have time for an A/N! I'm so rushed these days, I hope the story comes out halfway decent._

_Oh yes, and I had an anonymous reviewer that I wanted to address._  
_sjspain: Ahaha, you don't have to worry about Xion turning into some kind of monster or alien or something, LOL. Hopefully this chapter clears things up a bit, but then again, you should never assume that this is the whole story! (Or maybe I'm just tricking you and this _is_ the whole story. Who knows?)_

_Thanks to Amatus and sjspain for the reviews!_

* * *

Xion assumed he was shocked, but couldn't bring herself to look at Riku as she continued speaking, so he couldn't interrupt.

"I don't know much about it myself. I don't really know if I count as human or not. I think - I'm pretty sure I was created by the cataclysm, the second one. I don't have any memories from before it, but I didn't realize why until recently."

She couldn't look at Riku; she didn't know how he would react.

"But there's still something I need your help with, something else I found out. King Ansem... He's going to be assassinated."


	11. Based on a Dream

_A/N: Yay for inspiration! I've got a lot of ideas for this story today, which is a good thing because I was starting to run dry. I keep getting ideas for another AU I want to do after I get far enough in this story. I'm sure the reason I keep getting ideas for this other AU is all the fault of this book, __Bitterblue__. I mean, it was wonderful (despite having a few homosexual couples, thankfully I was able to ignore it because they were all minor) and had so many elements that I was planning to include in my other AU, and now I've been getting so many ideas for it! Ah well, I'm still going to wait until Eon's Hour really gets under way before I start anything more time-consuming than a oneshot. But really, I definitely recomment Bitterblue, which can be read perfectly fine without reading it's companions, __Graceling__ and __Fire__, but if you're the type who likes to try and predict a book's ending you might want to. Also it would help you understand who a few of the minor characters are. _

_Anyway, Bitterblue is amazing, and someday I might write fanfiction for it. Who knows? It's way better than it's companions, not that they were bad._

_Oh yeah, and I noticed that some of the spacing is off in a few earlier chapters, so I'll be editing those chapters to fix that. Sorry if that sends you a bunch of alerts (I don't know if it will or not, I'm new around here, but sorry if it does). Also I'll be going back to fix the fancy e's in Naminé because it's been bugging me._

* * *

The door creaked and Aqua frowned; deciding to tell someone to oil it soon. However, her gaze was drawn to Naminé, standing on her tiptoes, hanging something on the white wall. At the sound, Naminé turned, allowing Aqua to glimpse the object - the sketch of the black-cloaked figures.

"Aqua? Did you need something?" Naminé asked.

"Yes - I'm going home to Departure, to visit Terra and Ven. I thought I'd tell you I won't be here for a while."

Aqua turned to leave, but something was on her mind. "Naminé, is that drawing... special?"

Naminé smiled slightly. "It was based on a dream."


	12. Unfathomable Truth

_A/N: Sorry I didn't update yesterday, my mom was on the computer and I couldn't get online. Anyway, I thought I should say that if you think I'm making the characters OOC, or are overly confused about the plot, or if I've just messed up my grammar somewhere, feel free to give constructive criticism through a review or even a PM if you don't want it to be public. I'm saying this because I've been reading through the last few chapters and I'm not sure I'm 100% happy with them. But it's really hard for me to judge my own writing sometimes, so I'm not sure. I don't think they're awful or anything, but the word limit is, well, limiting, and sometimes I have to omit a pretty adjective or a clarification or a nice worldbuilding detail so I can stay at one hundred words. I love constructive criticism, so don't worry about me biting your head off, LOL. Also if you're confused about something that has happened, feel free to ask a question and I'll try my best to answer. I won't give spoilers, though! :P There are still things you're not supposed to know or understand yet, after all. But asking won't hurt. Also, I love when people make predictions on what's going to happen, though I don't think you have enough information on the plot to attempt that yet. Feel free to prove me wrong!_

_Oh, and hopefully I don't come across as someone begging for reviews, because I'll admit I hate it when writers do that and I don't mean it that way at all! I won't stop updating simply because of a lack or reviews, and I won't try to force you to review if you're following or have favorited this story. I just like feedback, to know how I'm doing, you know?_

_Anyway, I hope Riku's not OOC in this chapter. It was a little hard to write, I think because he's still recovering from Xion's massive info-dump last chapter, XD_

* * *

Riku's head was spinning. Xion wouldn't look at him, like she was afraid how he would react. Well, he didn't know how to react. He didn't even know what to think.

"The cataclysm created you? How is that even possible? How do you know there aren't others like you - wait, how do I know I can trust you?"

"I can't prove anything right now." Xion whispered. "But I promise, Riku, you can trust me."

He sighed, his energy draining out of him. "You know what? Just get some sleep. I can't promise I'll help you or anything, but I'll think about it."


End file.
